House House, an indie outfit located in Melbourne, Australia, recently released Untitled Goose Game on Nintendo Switch and on the Epic Games Store. The isometric meme game might seem like harmless entertainment, but in the closing credits the developers decided to deliver a political message.
Twitter user pudge played the Switch version of Untitled Goose Game and upon reaching the end, was greeted with the message…
“This game was made on the lands of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders, past and present. Sovereignty was never ceded.
“Thank you very much.”
The message was broadcast in a tweet by pudge on September 22nd, 2019.
Bruh even this lip service bs is in my vidya now. Tho the sovereignty line is a much more political stance than the normal speak. pic.twitter.com/2cFB3VjFtY
— pudge 🇦🇺 (@NintendoGlitch) September 22, 2019
If you’re unable to make out the contents of the image, you can view a larger version below.
If you’re still unconvinced that this actually appeared in the game, you can watch any full-length playthroughs of Untitled Goose Game to see it during the closing credits.
YouTuber Let’s STFU and Longplay has the full credit scene in question, which you can view below.
The message basically attempts to portray Australia as still belonging to the aborigines, and that they never ceded the land to the colonists. However,the Kulin alliance, consisting of the Wurundjeri – before the arrival of the colonists – was never established as a sovereign nation. It was just tribal territories scattered around small pockets of Australia.
House House’s needless political pandering highlights the intent of the developers, and it does little to help their reputation other than to spark animosity where it shouldn’t belong.
Worse yet is that this was funded in part by the Australian government, specifically the Victoria State Government commission and the Film Victoria Australia production and marketing fund. They’re literally using government money to peddle propaganda.
Creating this kind of agitprop is what gamers don’t want in their games. They don’t want to be reminded of a developer’s real-life political beliefs inside a game they’re playing to escape from said politics.
It’s quite clear that House House has an agenda, and it was broadcast loud and clear at the end of Untitled Goose Game.
(Thanks for the news tip Ebicentre)